Best Competitive decks from the Crown Zenith

Hello everyone! I am Elena from Gaia Storm, and it is great to be back once again. Crown Zenith has finally been released, and players are very hyped to test the new cards (or to pull their favourite Pokémon with new artwork!). While it is true that this set contains a lot of reprints, there are still several very interesting additions that can and will certainly make an impact in the metagame. And in case you are wondering where you can get these cards to build your decks in Pokemon TCG Live, PoTown Store is the best place to acquire  PTCG Live codes at the best price. Now let's explore these deck options and discuss how they can fit into the Standard format!

I think this is the one that makes the most sense to start with, perhaps because it is the deck that has the most potential.

Let's recap a little bit. Lost Box is everywhere and, undoubtedly, one of the most consistent strategies for the current state of the game. It has been very successfully played in a very straight way with Sableye and Cramorant as their main attackers. Still, lately, we have also seen the capabilities that running multiple energies provides. Take builds like Kyogre from Celebrations or Amazing Rayquaza, which include five different types of energies and use different attackers during the game and depending on the matchup.

Zamazenta from Crown Zenith is a new and welcome addition to Lost Box decks, as it covers some of the gaps this strategy has. First of all, it is a very reliable attacker that can do a very high amount of damage when one of your Pokémon falls in battle. Considering that Lost Box plays a lot of low-hp Pokémon, it is very unlikely that they survive more than one turn, so Zamazenta can effectively be continuous. Another very important aspect to highlight about Zamazenta is that it is very difficult to take down in the mirror matchup, as it has a lot of HP and a very good ability that helps it receive -30 damage.

As such, I consider Zamazenta to be a very good inclusion to the Lost Box strategy, and this is the list I would propose for you today:

As you can see, it maintains the core of every lost box deck but has some additions. We are all in with 2 Zamazentas, which will be our "revenge killer" for mid and late-game situations. On top of that, we also run some very solid V Star Pokémon that are the perfect users of the also brand-new Sky Seal Stone. Attach it to a Raikou V or a Drapion V, and you will get an additional prize next time to KO an opposing V Pokémon! The only doubt I have regarding this list are the water energies because, apart from enabling you to use Greninja's attack, they do not have much use. You can perfectly swap them for fighting energies and include a Galarian Zapdos V to maximize the potential of the Sky Seal Stone.

Some other attackers you might also want to look at are Kyogre from Celebrations and Amazing Raikou. Amazing Raikou fits very nicely because it shares a lot of energy types but will require you to add another type of energy card. Kyogre, on the other hand, can seal games on its own but forces you to run more energies and one or even two copies of Energy Recycling. My advice? Test the deck and modify the build as you feel more comfortable.

Yes, I am sorry, another Lost Box Deck. But don't blame the messenger, blame Pokémon for printing such a ridiculous archetype! Radiant Eternatus works very well with Lost Box for the reasons we are about to see. If you don't know what it does, Radiant Eternatus lets you "cheat" the rules and play two VMAX Pokémon directly from your deck onto your bench at the cost of ending your turn. This might seem a bit too much but consider that there are many powerful VMAX Pokémon out there, and they can win matchups on their own.

VMAX Pokémon are always paired up with something that can accelerate energies onto them, and that is why Arceus VSTAR has always been the perfect partner. Arceus Duraludon or Arceus Flying Pikachu relied on attaching energy to Arceus turn 1, attaching a Double Turbo Energy turn 2 (powering up the VMAX on the bench) and then promoting the VMAX to the active position to attack in your third turn. With Lost Box, the entire process can theoretically speed up.

You start setting up your field and sending cards to the lost zone with the typical Comfey + Scoop Up Nets shenanigans and bench Radiant Eternatus at the end of your turn. If you have been able to reach the seven cards in the lost zone mark by turn 2 (something that we all know is achievable), then you can start using your Mirage Gates to effectively power up Flying Pikachu or any other attacker, resulting in an attack in your second turn. And that sounds scary.

This is the list I have been testing out so far:

I decided to go for the two most obvious choices of VMAX Pokémon with Duraludon and Pikachu. Flying Pikachu from Celebrations is the perfect attacker in the Lost Box matchup and can also do very well against Regigigas. Duraludon is one of the best Lugia VSTAR counters in the format, especially if you combine it with Big Parasol. Double Duraludon and double Parasol are something that no Lugia build can beat. But apart from Duraludon and Flying Pikachu, there are other interesting VMAX Pokémon you might want to include, like Espeon VMAX, to protect your Pokémon from attack effects.

However, this deck has some downsides too. As you can clearly see, it revolves around Radiant Eteratus way too much. If you don't open with Quick Ball and can't bench it in turn one, you are already losing a lot of momentum, and since you are not a regular Lost Box deck, that really hurts. Also, there is always the possibility of having your Eternatus prized. We run Hishuian Heavy Ball for that type of situation, but that does not always guarantee you access it soon enough. And lastly, you must run at least three stadium cards or a way to counter other stadiums because if your opponent starts with Path to the Peak and you don't have a way to deal with it, Radiant Eternatus can not even be activated. I am not trying to discourage you from playing the deck, I think it is a solid choice, but be aware that a normal Lost Box deck (like the one we covered above with Zamazenta) can be less risky.

But in my opinion, this list is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is a lot of room to experiment with Radiant Eternatus. In fact, I want to test it in Expanded with Shadow Rider Calyrex, which is one of the most competitive decks right now. This is the list that French player Stephane Ivanoff played in a recent tournament and got first place. Radiant Eternatus here accelerates bringing Shadow Rider VMAX copies to the field and even allows playing other VMAXs like Espeon. It is very helpful that it can be searched via Mysterious Treasure.

Oh, and one last thing before I forget. If you have not considered it, Radiant Eternatus actually has a very nice attack at the cost of three energies. If you play it with the right energies, you should consider using it! I have seen some Japanese Lugia Pokemon TCG Live decks that use it instead of Radiant Charizard because it can use Aurora and Hidden Energies.

Ok, you might think I am crazy for including Zacian here in this list, and I understand but hear me out: it is not a bad deck. While I don't expect it to be the best deck in the format or even reach the tier 1 placement, it has some nice matchups and is very funny to play. Plus, Zacian V is rotating very soon, so why don't you give this deck one last ride?

Zacian VSTAR is a pretty good attacker who can ignore others' Pokemon effects and also has a very powerful VSTAR move, capable of KO'ing everything in the meta with one choice attached. This is the list I have been currently testing:

It will probably remind you of a turbo Zacian from last year, and this is precisely what it is (but better). The idea is simple. You want to go first and use Zacian's V ability to draw cards and hopefully attach some free energies. You can even pull off a turn-one attack with Zacian going second if you draw your Metal Saucers, but that can be tricky sometimes. Once Zacian V is powered up, you can literally KO anything that is not an evolution Pokémon, and then you can evolve into your Zacian VSTAR to secure the game situation. Mew from Celebrations and Oranguru provides a lot of consistency to the deck and help you find your pieces early in the game.

Zacian VSTAR is a bit more difficult to take down than a regular Zacian and is the perfect attacker for when your opponent has something huge on the field. For example, imagine your opponent has a Mew VMAX: Zacian VSTAR with Choice Band can easily get rid of it even with Oricorio on the field and even 1HKO a Duraludon VMAX.

As for the list, I was also considering running fewer supporters and including four copies of Cross-switchers and a few copies of PokéStop. This gives the deck more aggression during the first turns, but I feel it hurts consistency a bit. But as with everything, you can continuously adapt it to your personal style. One last note is that I am also running one Zamazenta V because it is a very good last-resort attacker. Being able to KO other V Pokémon in case your opponent has won many prizes. Not to mention that you can attach the Sky Seal Stone to it and get three prizes in the last turn! Another Pokémon I might consider adding is Lumineon to search for the necessary supporter cards, but the problem is that there is not a lot of bench space.

All in all, this deck does really well against others that focus on VMAX and VSTAR attackers. The real problem comes when you face something that runs a lot of one-prize attackers. As such, the matchup against Lost Box is a nightmare, and if they run Radiant Charizard… well, I think you need to pray to our lord Arceus for them to brick hard. Let's put it that way.

Generally speaking, Crown Zenith is not a set that is going to shake the entire format up, but the reality is that it was never intended to do so. Even if the main focus is the alternative artworks and reprints, there are a bunch of very decent cards that I am sure will be played and can spice things up for the remainder of the format. In my opinion, Lost Box is the deck that benefits the most from Crown Zenith, but others can also receive a boost. And in case you are wondering where you can get these cards to build your decks in PTCG Live, PoTown Store is your place to acquire  Pokemon TCG Live codes at the best price. Don't forget to check them out before you leave the site. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope these lists help you in your testing!

Elena has been playing Pokémon TCG for years and leads one of the biggest TCG-dedicated channels in the world. You can find her on Youtube & Twitch (@gaiastormtcg) as well as in other social media channels. Don't forget to check them out!